St. Patrick’s Day 2027 is on Wednesday, March 17, 2027. It’s a public holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland, but not a federal holiday in the United States, so U.S. offices, banks and schools keep their usual hours.
St. Patrick’s Day is March 17 every year, the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint. In 2027 it lands midweek and in the middle of Lent. This guide covers where the day is a holiday, what a Wednesday date means for parades and celebrations, the rare years when the church moves the feast, and the weekdays through 2031.
When is St. Patrick’s Day 2027?
St. Patrick’s Day 2027 falls on a Wednesday. The dates around it in March 2027:
| Day | Date |
|---|---|
| U.S. daylight saving time begins | Sunday, March 14, 2027 |
| St. Patrick’s Day | Wednesday, March 17, 2027 |
| Spring equinox | Saturday, March 20, 2027 |
| Palm Sunday | Sunday, March 21, 2027 |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26, 2027 |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, March 28, 2027 |
| Easter Monday (public holiday in Ireland) | Monday, March 29, 2027 |
Easter is only 11 days after St. Patrick’s Day in 2027, which matters for the church calendar (more on that below). Count down on our St. Patrick’s Day countdown or see the weeks until St. Patrick’s Day. The March 2027 calendar shows the whole month.
Is St. Patrick’s Day a federal holiday?
No. St. Patrick’s Day isn’t one of the federal holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103. On Wednesday, March 17, 2027, federal offices and post offices are open, there’s regular mail delivery, and banks that follow the Federal Reserve schedule are open. Schools and most employers treat it as a normal day, so anyone who wants to take part in daytime events will need to take time off. The next federal holiday after Presidents’ Day is Memorial Day on May 31, 2027; our federal holidays 2027 guide has the full list.
A public holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is one of ten public holidays, according to the Workplace Relations Commission. In 2027 it’s followed 12 days later by Easter Monday, March 29, another public holiday. Good Friday isn’t a public holiday in the Republic. See every date on our Ireland public holidays 2027 page.
In Northern Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a bank holiday; the UK government’s bank holiday list includes Wednesday, March 17, 2027. It isn’t a bank holiday in England, Wales or Scotland.
When March 17 falls on a weekend, Northern Ireland gets a substitute weekday. The next times are 2029, when March 17 is a Saturday and the bank holiday moves to Monday, March 19, and 2030, when it’s a Sunday and the bank holiday moves to Monday, March 18. The rules on weekend public holidays in the Republic work differently, so check your employer’s policy there.
Parades and celebrations in 2027
A Wednesday date splits the celebrations. Some cities hold their main parade on March 17 itself, and others choose a nearby weekend so more people can attend. Parade dates, routes and start times are set by each organizing committee, so check the official announcement for your city before you plan travel; the dates often aren’t confirmed until closer to the day.
The nearest weekends to St. Patrick’s Day 2027 are Saturday and Sunday, March 13–14, and Saturday and Sunday, March 20–21. The second of those runs into Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. Remember that U.S. clocks spring forward early on Sunday, March 14, which can catch out anyone planning an early event that morning.
When the church moves St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day always falls during Lent or, very rarely, Holy Week, and the church calendar gives Holy Week priority over saints’ days. When March 17 lands in Holy Week, the liturgical feast is moved, even though the public holiday and parades stay on March 17.
That last happened in 2008. March 17 fell on the Monday of Holy Week, so the Irish bishops moved the church feast to Saturday, March 15, as EWTN News reported at the time. The same report noted that it was the first change since 1940 and that the next clash isn’t expected until 2160. Our holiday engine agrees: Easter fell on March 24, 1940 and March 23, 2008, and the next Easter on March 23 is in 2160.
In 2027, Easter is March 28 and Palm Sunday is March 21, so March 17 falls in the fifth week of Lent, not in Holy Week. The feast stays on March 17.
St. Patrick’s Day on a Friday in Lent
Catholics abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent, which can clash with a corned beef dinner when St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday. In those years, some U.S. bishops grant a dispensation for the day. When it happened in 2023, CBS News reported dispensations in Boston, New York, Washington, Minneapolis and other cities, while Chicago didn’t issue a general one. Each bishop decides, so check your own diocese.
It isn’t an issue in 2027, when March 17 is a Wednesday. It comes up again in 2028, when St. Patrick’s Day falls on Friday, March 17, during Lent. For the rest of the Lenten calendar, see our Easter 2027 guide.
St. Patrick’s Day dates, 2027 to 2031
| Year | St. Patrick’s Day | Northern Ireland bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Wednesday, March 17 | Wednesday, March 17 |
| 2028 | Friday, March 17 | Friday, March 17 |
| 2029 | Saturday, March 17 | Monday, March 19 (substitute) |
| 2030 | Sunday, March 17 | Monday, March 18 (substitute) |
| 2031 | Monday, March 17 | Monday, March 17 |
The jump from Wednesday in 2027 to Friday in 2028 is two weekdays because the 2028 leap day, February 29, comes before March 17. Look up any year on the March 17 day-of-the-week page.
Frequently asked questions
What day is St. Patrick’s Day 2027?
St. Patrick’s Day 2027 is on Wednesday, March 17, 2027. In 2028 it falls on a Friday.
Is St. Patrick’s Day a day off in the US?
No. It isn’t a federal holiday, so federal offices, post offices, banks and most schools and businesses are open on March 17, 2027.
Is St. Patrick’s Day a public holiday in Ireland?
Yes. It’s a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, both on Wednesday, March 17, 2027.
Is St. Patrick’s Day during Lent in 2027?
Yes. Lent 2027 runs from Ash Wednesday, February 10, to Holy Thursday, March 25, so March 17 falls in the fifth week of Lent, but not in Holy Week.
When is the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2027?
Each city’s organizers set their own date. Some parade on March 17 itself, a Wednesday in 2027, and others on a nearby weekend such as March 13–14 or March 20–21. Check the official announcement for your city.
Is it St. Patrick’s Day or St Patricks Day?
The full name is Saint Patrick’s Day. Americans usually write St. Patrick’s Day, while UK sources often drop the period, as in St Patrick’s Day. Searches for “St Patricks Day 2027” without the apostrophe point to the same date: Wednesday, March 17.